Spirit Airlines - Why They're Hated

[@malaysiaairlinesflight3706]

Last time I got on a Spirit flight the flight attendant said over the intercom; "If you said you'd never fly Spirit again, welcome back"

[@annerison]

Yikes

[@rubynelson1164]

So far I have not !

[@steveh5307]

Spirit is my preferred airline. They're the cheapest. They get me from point A to B in one piece. Idc about a cup of soda and a bag of trail mix. I'm not gonna starve to death. In fact, get rid of it if it reduces $10 off my fare.

[@willissudweeks1050]

Lol

[@willissudweeks1050]

@@steveh5307 Yeah for sure

[@benvanelli1241]

I got off a Spirit flight with my dad and the first thing he said when we landed was "I am never using that airline again."

[@ShinobiSora]

My mom said the same thing.

[@d.l.r.]

I worked for Ryanair (which is quite like Spirit) for a while and to anyone who said that I used to reply 'I hope so', because they used to come back. I still travel only with them 🤣🤣 once you know the rules it's ok

[@HollowDreams1x]

Facts lol

[@luisalbertovega]

Same, worst 4 hours in a plane. There was almost no leg space and they lost our luggage.

[@StopCopCity1312]

Their planes have so many mechanical problems that even the new planes they booked us on because they were not safe to fly still had problems. What was supposed to be a three or four hour flight took four days, about as much time as just driving there and missed a once in a lifetime wedding. I was never compensated for any of it. Never fly Spirit.

[@benjaminreed4781]

I’ve flown Spirit only once, but my impression was that they’re the airline equivalent of Greyhound. The best part of the flight was when the gentleman who was going to be seated next to me stopped in the aisle, looked at me, himself, then the seat and stuck his hand out. “Good morning, my name is Brent and we’ll be invading each other’s personal space for the next three hours.” 😅

[@rodneykingston6420]

Um, Greyhound is actually a decent bus company, or at least they were the last time I used them around 2000. Are you saying Greyhound has disintegrated that much?

[@tevinabeysekera6038]

@@rodneykingston6420 They have, unfortunately. Much better to spend some more on a rental car, or look for an alternate bus company.

[@nutbastard]

Brent is a gangster. He knows how to do it. Little things like that can make any flight so much more pleasant.

[@dmo530]

@@rodneykingston6420 Not anymore. I've been screwed over by greyhound 4 of the last 5 times I took them. There's a reason why they don't reimburse you for buses that drastically miss their departure time.

[@williampotter2098]

You have a lot more room in a Greyhound seat.

[@uranus_crunch_cake87]

I'm usually one of those people that travel with just a backpack and don't ever expect flights to be a good experience. My low standards have kept me pretty satisfied with spirit. Lol

[@nikolaysargsyan6349]

I pretty much agree with you as I prefer a "just single back-pack" style travel as well. And Spirit and Frontier are a great option for people like us, because we do really get value from them. P.S. And I am glad other people think high of Jet Blue as well, they do really seem to have find a middle ground between cost and experience. At least pre-covid.

[@Sanjixoxo]

>being satisfied with spirit airlines

[@codyestes6596]

Just wait until they cancel your flight on you same day because they didn’t sell enough tickets. Happened to me four times.

[@danielserrano929]

Unless you’re traveling for a short period, having a single backpack sounds like a nightmare

[@James-yq1ju]

This comment nailed it on the head lol. I fly quite often but I hate it. I hate airports, I hate TSA, I hate sitting in a giant tube for hours. No airline can compensate my hate for traveling. Therefore, as long as I make it to my destination safely, I am satisfied.

[@robbieharris8758]

My favorite thing about Spirit is that even their staff know they suck. The number of flight attendants that have made a “it’s spirit airlines so what did you expect?” jokes sometimes make the flight worth it (sometimes)

[@patrickiamonfire965]

Sad that they’re underpaid.

[@patrickiamonfire965]

@@Bobspineable no body expect first class they expect to be treated as humans. Remember they have pay for check in and have to sit in extremely cramped sits causing actual leg problems and damage. Also remember the video example you pay for everything for the burger. But thing is you have to pay for it to be assembled too. They use a highly inconvenient system. They can ultimately charge a bit more in individual services and gain large total revenue it’s rather cheaper for the customers to use a different airline where they don’t use the system.

[@mrmacross]

@@patrickiamonfire965 With Spirit, I feel there's a "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" element. The first time flying is a terrible experience because you probably bought your Spirit ticket on a third-party travel website and few or none of the unbundled fees are shown to you front and center. You arrive at the airport, and then you get shocked to hear there's fees for everything. So I get the complaints from first- and one-time travelers. If you fly them multiple times and you still hate the experience, though, you're just acting silly.

[@CubeAtlantic]

That's actually legit not surprising but ironically sensing downcast, & sad lol.

[@patrickiamonfire965]

@@Bobspineable Spirit exist cause there's literally four individuals airlines in the USA. They have a collision. They know the consumer doesn't have that much of a choice. Also haven't you read my previous comment the individual cost are actually bigger than other airlines combined they're they make majority of their profits from this system. Think about it just to check in a bag cost you money. Its highly inconvenient. People still use their airlines cause people can't book at other airlines cause it's full.

[@whiskers78753]

He left out one of the most obvious reasons people hate Spirit: they strand you if your flight gets cancelled. Most airlines can easily rebook you on a later flight or connect you through a different airport, where Spirit tends to just leave you stranded.

[@kadenstimpson3167]

@@MattyAviation Bro is the spirit soldier 💀

[@whiskers78753]

@@MattyAviation I am a frequent flyer, and what you just said is not what I am talking about. If you get cancelled by American, Delta, Southwest, you will get a notification, and you can almost always find another flight to get on. Sometimes airlines go the extra mile to save your trip. As an example, I was once at the Kalamazoo airport and United's flight from Kalamazoo to Chicago was delayed. Many of their customers were going to miss their connecting flights. United put many of their customers on our American Airlines flight from Kalamazoo to Chicago, so they wouldn't miss their connections. Spirit will never do anything like that. My boss once got stranded at Las Vegas. Her flight was cancelled due to weather at a different airport, so the plane couldn't make it to Vegas in the first place. There was no other flight she could rebook to, and no other airline would take her fare because Spirit is such a cheap airline. Her only recourse was to take the refund and find another flight with another airline, leaving her on her own. Also, many of Spirit's flights are twice a week or three times a week. If your flight gets cancelled, are you going to wait days to get rebooked. Spirit is a crapshoot, along with Allegiant and Frontier. You will never agree until it happens to you.

[@kevindao1103]

@@MattyAviation Spirit, Alliegant, Frontier, and much of the ULCC's of the US run such a lean fleet and logistics schedule. If your flight gets stuck, you're SOL. THE ONLY TIME a ULCC WILL rebook you on an entirely different airline is if you get voluntarily or involuntarily bumped (It's completely legal, read DOT bill of rights). Don't expect a ULCC to help you. This isn't the EU where Ryanair and Easyjet will be backed into a corner by the EU Parliament to help their passengers.

[@SirBlackReeds]

@@kevindao1103 As long as you aren't guilty of wrongthink.

[@johniii8147]

They don't have an interline agreement with other carriers where they can transfer, nor does Southwest. It's part of the low cost model so risk taken.

[@alexallen6286]

My experience on a spirit airline flight. 2014, a Karen went nuclear because she didn't have ice for her jack and coke. She was really yelling. One passenger even shouted it her "it's a ONE HOUR FLIGHT calm down." Which of course set her off more. We hadn't taken off yet, so she was kicked off the plane. The passengers literally clapped when they escorted her off the plane.

[@MetroJet2000]

In other words she did not need any alcohol at all

[@alexallen6286]

@@MetroJet2000 and her airplane bottle of jack came with a can of coke that WAS refrigerated. It's not even like it was a room temperature coke. And it was like 8:40 in the morning ON THANKSGIVING DAY.

[@Luke-zx4nx]

I'd rather have no ice. More liquor for me, and it has no chance of getting diluted

[@Devo57]

Everybody clapped huh

[@alexallen6286]

@@Devo57 I get that it's a meme. And that people wanna be like "yeah sure, that happened." But actually everyone applauded. She was causing a huge scene and making everyone uncomfortable. Over ice cubes. I'm no hero in this story, just a spectator. Believe me or not, it actually happened.

[@certifyme1003xs]

Where ppl go wrong: Never check in a bag at Spirit ever. Always have expectations to pay for everything with Spirit, knowing this will save you a lot of grief & going to their horrible customer service.

[@swag-hunterroronoazoro2398]

I’m just guessing but does it have to do with damage to your bag?

[@certifyme1003xs]

@@swag-hunterroronoazoro2398 That’s an addition but it has everything to do with actually workin at an Intl Airport for over 7 yrs, workin Spirit Flight(s) & a friend had a horrific 1 time experience with Spirit.

[@certifyme1003xs]

@@swag-hunterroronoazoro2398 Your bags will get lost, That’s the prime of it all, damages to it as well is icing on the cake.

[@swag-hunterroronoazoro2398]

@@certifyme1003xs sound about right, for the second time I took spirit my bags got damaged, first time I ignored but second time I sent a complaint for damaged bags 3 weeks ago, still awaiting a response

[@JDashRider]

Or just fly a better airline.

[@anthonyc8499]

Half the problem with Spirit airlines are the passengers. The passenger dramas on Spirit planes are legendary and worthy of their own KZbin channel.

[@monkofdarktimes]

True. Although what's odd is that you pay what you want and since my father needed a quick flight to see some family spirit was great as he only needed himself and that's it.

[@darexinfinity]

Basically Walmart vs Target.

[@AllisonJaffeID]

Trash begets trash

[@AllisonJaffeID]

@@darexinfinity haha definitely Walmart vs Sam’s club

[@AFoxGuy]

@@AllisonJaffeID idk how to say this… Walmart owns Sams and Sams is the Spirit Airlines to Costco.

[@holy3979]

Spirit is one of those "you get what you pay for" cases, if your just traveling with a backpack and want the cheapest tickets around, they are great and a pretty good value. If you want some comfort or want to pack more you should go with basically anything else. Flew with them recently, $500 round trip tickets from one coast of the us to another on the day before forth of July, can't really complain about that.

[@shoraz]

exactly snagged a ticket from NY to CA for only $150. Tbh only people that can't read or do maths are the people that hate spirit.

[@ME98878]

500 was a rip off... Few from Baltimore to LA round trip for $175.

[@holy3979]

@@ME98878 Cheapest I could find for forth of July weekend, and still cheaper than booking a hotel room for a couple extra days to get cheaper tickets.

[@ME98878]

@@holy3979 no worries! It's part of the process to dig for the best flights and sometimes it's the best we can find! Cheers🥂 :)

[@holy3979]

@@ME98878 indeed.

[@dwatts64]

I flew to Cancun a few years back on Spirit. I think a lot of people's problems with them is that they go into the flight without an understanding of what they're paying for. My experience wasn't bad. It was crowded, little leg room, and yes a fee for everything but it allowed my wife and I to save $3-400 on two round trip tickets. Given the cost of the tickets I feel we got exactly what we paid for. It felt like riding a Greyhound in the sky. If you go into it with reasonable expectations for what you're paying, it's really not that bad imo.

[@matttorres5510]

I was just thinking that, like a greyhound In the sky.

[@tjenadonn6158]

It's basically the Americas' answer to Ryanair. No frills, no amenities, but it will get you from anywhere to anywhere cheaper than anywhere else. If you think of air travel not as a luxury service but just as a means of moving humans through the sky and try to do that as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible Spirit really has no faults. Sure you'd rather drive a Koenigsegg than a Kia, but ultimately Kias are moving more people to more places and selling more units.

[@qddawn]

I completely agree with this.

[@n900video]

Exactly. Why would I want to pay $100 more on another airline just for 1 inch more legroom and some free peanuts on a 2h flight. I'm not a millionaire, it makes sense to me to always take the least expensive flight possible and more often than not Spirit turned out to be way cheaper than others, despite all the fees.

[@draculastraphouse7863]

I flew Spirit last time and I have zero complaints about it, everything went completely smoothly and I'd use them again for sure

[@luv2sail66]

Seems like the beginning of the downfall of most companies begins with “a controlling interest was bought by a venture capital firm”. That usually means cuts in customer service and value of the products or services provided in favor of shareholder profits. If there’s a company where customer service actually improved after acquisition by a venture capital firm, I’d like to hear it.

[@AxelQC]

Vulture capitalism

[@JD-gk7eh]

Almost definitely. The Venture Capitalists don't care about long term. They want immediate money. If they run the company into the ground, they don't care because they will just move onto another one.

[@Titandog21]

Idk about downfall he says right in the video they didnt start making a profit till they started their price cutting strategy.

[@meyer8199]

Spirit is one of the most successful airlines flying, so no "downfall" here. In fact, all airlines implement the same policies. Don't like it, stay home!

[@dantove963]

@@meyer8199 Not for long. Sadly it looks like the merger with Jet Blue will go through, which means cities will be cut and fares will go up. Spirit will be greatly missed.

[@thebestcentaur]

I have a lot to thank Spirit and United for. ...Mainly convincing me that sticking with Southwest all these years is a fantastic idea

[@completlynormalhypernova666]

The best i can say about united is, well they got me to my destination

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

Southwest is arguably the best US airline ever~

[@kevting4512]

Honestly United international flights are miles better than domestic. Not by a lot but still noticably better.

[@KaitouKaiju]

Southwest is definitely a solid bang for the buck, everything you want and nothing you don't airline

[@Scapone2001]

Southwest too pricey now

[@sunshinet90]

spirit was the only airline i'd used as an adult until i had to take a flight with delta. they were bringing the snacks down the aisle and i asked how much a pop was and the stewardess laughed and said, "it's all free. we're not as bad as spirit airlines... yet."

[@Grimpmann]

You can't go 3 hours without a snack? That sucks :(

[@JDBass36]

Nothing is really free! All those so called " Snacks" are already included into the price of your ticket. what most people dont realize is that every other ailrine includes everything into your tickets! Where Spirit gives you the option to nickel and dime every aspect of your final price! Is Spirit a 5 star airline? of course not but they literally are upfront about how there business model works. its as clear as you can get. Yet people still expect with 5 star service for low prices

[@sunshinet90]

@@Grimpmann sry for wanting to drink a sprite dude didn’t know it would break your heart

[@YumsahsWebsiteDesign]

Yeah I wouldn't pay an extra $150 for a pop

[@craigjensen6853]

Give them time, Delta is rapidly catching -up- down. Their Detroit terminal is a total dump but I guess par for the course for Detroit.

[@gabo42013]

I don’t mind the “nickel and dime” approach because I only travel with my backpack which means I don’t have to pay for a regular flight that includes the extras that I don’t need (carry-on, check-in). But for those who do travel with more luggage I can understand the lack of real value

[@robertfrost8264]

Same. I imagine it's like going to the movies. I can go solo and get a matinee ticket, drink and popcorn for about $20... if you have a family of 5, good luck NOT spending $150-$200 haha I you have a family of 5, you're well off enough if you're flying to pay for the standard perks/benefits of a traditional (already overpriced) airline.

[@jricedrums]

The exact reason I travel with spirit and frontier mostly, I just bring a backpack and I usually sleep for my entire flights.

[@margannaful]

exactly. I pack my tiny bag, get a great ticket price, and can travel anywhere. I don't pack toiletries, I just buy them when I land. I roll up some clothes and I'm off. If it gets super cramped, I just close my eyes and chant over and over again "It's only $89....It's only $89....."

[@-Frost--]

Is it only a backpack that's considered a non carry-on? Would they consider a small roller bag that can fit under the seat as a carry-on?

[@jeffreymanier0]

Yea this is the main reason i fly Frontier. Never had a bad experience with them other than their extremely uncomfortable seats, and i also travel super light.

[@chase313bear9]

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are having some cabin pressure problems. You will have one more chance to pay the oxygen fee before we lower the masks.”

[@Jwellsuhhuh]

Attention passengers, in accordance with our climate pledge, this aircraft has been equipped with a global pedal throttle system. Please find the set of bike pedals under the seat in front of you and pedal as directed for the duration of the flight.

[@GaretZaugg]

“Is there a doctor on this plane? I think my husband is having a heart attack!” “Ma’am, this is Spirit Airlines, there’s no doctor on this plane.”

[@hotsoup1001]

More felony convictions than college degrees.

[@MrIansmitchell]

That’s not true! PhDs without tenure fly spirit…

[@justayoutuber1906]

Dr. of Philosophy

[@johniii8147]

No they would say sure for the $200 fee. Give me your credit card and I'm sure I can make it happen.

[@williampotter2098]

But we do have defibrillators available for a very reasonable price.

[@reggiejohnson8753]

You can book a flight on Spirit for $49 and end up spending spending $189 per person in total with the added charges. That happened to my sister going to Orlando this August.

[@lurch26killa]

Happened to me too

[@Tblistan]

Yet you can read how much a bag costs instead of just showing up and assuming you get a free bag.

[@ToyotaTom04]

And that total fare was still about $100 less than any of the legacy carriers

[@Tblistan]

@@ToyotaTom04 but but they were told the two oversized duffel bags at the gate aren’t free! This is ridiculous! It’s almost like the website warned me multiple times while booking! How would I ever have known lol

[@reggiejohnson8753]

to clarify that $189 per person price did not include baggage.

[@georgiaparentsforkidsright9572]

I actually like being able to buy a ticket for pretty much the taxes. I also like that it unloads far faster because people can’t bring a bunch of oversized bags to struggle with. The cancellations are really the only issue that I have with them.

[@KellicTiger]

I used Spirit exactly once. I received a survey from them and they asked if the ticket was cheaper would you be willing to charge to go to the bathroom. WTF. I'll never fly with them again. That is some insane BS.

[@robertsteinbach7325]

How much was the extra fee for the emergency oxygen?

[@nickbrennan1298]

lucky for you spirit no longer exists as an independent airline

[@hkh4-onehandedvidya]

Just piss on their plane

[@harls7317]

stop the cap

[@ejumper_09]

@@robertsteinbach7325 lmao

[@Weisz]

Request: can you do a “why they’re successful” on Menards? It’s the closest competitor to lowes and home depot, but it’s still over 90% privately owned by it’s founder. Really interesting story, huge company - I’d watch the heck outta that video

[@SLACKERBOY]

SAVE BIG MONEY AT MENARDS

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

It is, what it is! kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5TNZIF3arOjlc0 This is not primarily intended as a direct reply but more of a notification for anyone else who sees this _and didn't know._

[@rustyshackleford5157]

They turned me into a lifelong Southwest customer and I really appreciate it.

[@Meganade]

i flew spirit one way to visit a friend and flew southwest on the way home once. the captain of the return flight said when we landed “thank you for not flying spirit” and everyone laughed. seeing both back to back made me a southwest customer too lol

[@common_c3nts]

Southwest is just as bad with their cattle call seating.

[@pws3rd170]

Southwest flies everywhere I need to go, I can have 2 checked bags and a carry on, all for under $150 usually and like 1.5-2 hours in the air

[@blackcomicnerd3657]

Me too LOL!

[@rustyshackleford5157]

@@common_c3nts would you prefer to pay for that exit row seating?

[@itsonlybrad2278]

I was surprised you didn't touch on flight cancellations and delays. Anecdotally they certainly seem to have a lot of problems with that, which I always assumed was a significant factor in their customer dissatisfaction. I would never book Spirit if I had a schedule I had to stick to.

[@jonathanpusar5931]

They used to pre pandemic. They've had actually the best on time and lowest cancellation rate since. Combination of not letting go of staff, very new fleet, and much higher bar for maintenance.

[@scottsimon1]

You get what you pay for. If you're paying $99 for a flight that would normally cost you $250 on Delta, don't gripe if you have to pay $25 to check your luggage or if you don't get a free meal. Those things aren't really free if you're going with a higher cost airline.

[@chasefasten4120]

it's at least $40 for baggage

[@meyer8199]

To be fair, Delta also charges for checked bags on basic economy fares, but still charges more for the ticket. All airlines do this. Spirit does the same thing, but the basic fare is far less expensive. There are trade offs, like no interlining and not as much frequency (depending), but pretty much provides the same service as Delta or anyone else at a much more affordable price point.

[@crjetpilot]

I flew Spirit today and a small carry on bag cost an extra $83. ($99, if you waited til at the gate) It’s the trickery bs that I hate. When selecting a seat, the only ones showing were premium seats. The plane took off about half full. I only flew Spirit because my Southwest flight canceled (FAA ground stop earlier in the day), and I had an international connection in Vegas on another airline. The 45 min flight cost $213 (base fare was $65, which would have been good, if it was true). The FA briefing the exit rows was reading from a cue card (not one ounce of personality during the entire boarding/flight). I can imagine he’d be useless in the case of an emergency. I would never choose Spirit, outside of an emergency situation, like today.

[@mary11567]

Spirit charges you for a cup of tap water. The only thing they give you for “free” is a cup of literal ice. They nickel and dime you for everything

[@meyer8199]

@@mary11567 That free cup of water on United is costing you hundreds. Everything else about Spirit is the same as United, Delta and American's basic economy. Guess you have money to toss out the window. Must be nice mary not know motch.

[@akeme25]

My mom just flew Spirit a few days ago and the amount of fees she had to pay for every little thing was just eye-popping. Not only that, but the fees were extra expensive too, like paying $79 to check in a bag. The amount of money she spent on her trip overall was much more than if she had bought the $500 Delta ticket that was her other option.

[@AniMatrix0101]

Other airlines are also charging for bag. I really can't remember the time i wasn't charged that's why I always just fly with a carry on backpack

[@TimothyRichard12345]

@@AniMatrix0101 Yeah but most airlines charge $30 to check a bag. $79 is insane

[@williamboyle8918]

Do your homework. Read fine print and most peeps be fine. Assuming things is ignorant

[@roystonmason9125]

@@TimothyRichard12345 they charge 89 bucks to carry on your own god damned bag

[@pgbrown12084]

One of my best experiences was unironically on a Spirit Airlines flight. The flight attendants were so hilariously self aware of how disliked they were had the entire cabin in stitches. We laughed for four solid hours . I think the hate comes from the nickel and dime tactic. Yeah it's annoying but you knew that going into the flight! You didn't go to Spirit for luxury and high class pampering.

[@mrmacross]

I think for a lot of customers, you actually don't know how badly you're going to be nickeled and dimed. You might've never heard of Spirit and bought a ticket from a travel website, and the fees weren't necessarily communicated to you upfront. Coming to the airport and learning that you have to pay to use the overhead compartment can be a bit of a rude awakening. But you can only claim ignorance once.

[@fuckfuckfuckityfuck]

New de-boarding fee, oh you want to get off the plane? It'll cost extra. As I'm promptly hired by spirit airlines

[@QuintusAntonious]

The problem with them lowering the bar this low though is that they are getting away with it, which is giving other airlines that aren't as cheap the justification to also do similar things. Reducing leg room, abusing pilots and flight crew, nickel and dimming for basic services, frequent cancellations with little notification or recompense, and over all reduced customer service are now becoming common even in higher priced big brand airlines. And since it's not an industry a lot of competition can be introduced into due to the cost and networking required to access major airports, there isn't a lot of innovation happening in the field of air travel since there isn't much of an incentive as the majority of us who can afford to fly but aren't rich enough to regularly upgraded are required to either put up with it or arrange lengthy ground transportation that isn't practical. If you have to travel frequently for work, for example, it isn't exactly feasible to "opt out" of this market segment like with other service providers (like a streaming service, for instance).

[@NevadaLamb]

People definitely need to know what they’re getting into when the book Spirt. I’ve flown with them a number of times and have never paid over the ticket price. I’m just not into that. I take a duffle bag as my carry on and buy a $5 soda before I board the plane. I’ll gladly pay that over a free soda that’s $70 or so more to obtain.

[@TheydyGodiva]

I think what also contributes to the bad optics is the fact that most of their ground handling (ramp, fuel, customer service, airport ops) is done by third party contractors. Those contractors don't have much investment in upholding spirit's policies and don't have much incentive to provide good customer service. This is exacerbated by the fact that these companies typically hire people who have little to no experience in the industry. It's a lot of people's first jobs if they want to get their foot in the door of the industry. Regardless, since many of them are inexperienced, and the turnover being as high as it is, the end result is poor service.

[@andrew5168]

I actually fly them today... Every time I fly I say I'll never do it again, but when the flight prices are crazy, Spirit is just there waiting knowing you have no other option

[@1740ryguy]

This is spirit airlines in a nutshell 😂

[@Nirvana_115]

One time my family and I booked a trip with spirit for Chicago to Florida and turns out our flight got delayed. The reason? Turns out the pilot didn't show up because THEY DIDN'T KNOW THE FLIGHT EXISTED! I mean HOW do you schedule a plane that even the pilot didn't know was happening. We ended up having to switch airlines entirely since they had no other trip to Florida for that same day

[@retroflashbackdude]

Yikes. Makes me happy I’ve never flown Spirit

[@DecisionBrownNetwork]

😂😂😂

[@drewkennerly7029]

Brings to mind being trafficked for work as a young technician, forced to sleep with coworkers in budget motels and not coming home when the employer said I would by a matter of months. They robbed me of being able to see my daughters first steps and yeah I’m still bitter. Also being penniless on one of those planes without a book or a snack was truly awful.

[@_.F0X._]

If you were penniless in an spirit fly then probably the only other option you could afford to arrive at your destination was walking. Im just saying.. by the way my uber ride from home to my nearest airport was higher than my spirit fly cost

[@cyber_pirate]

I’ve always been a Spirit flyer since my mom works as a flight attendant for them, and honestly it gets me from point A to point B. I literally could not care less about small luxuries. Of course, this could all be because I’m a young flyer and things like comfort aren’t a huge deal to me, but I don’t know. I suppose it depends on the person.

[@rodneykingston6420]

That's what I always said, until they unceremoniously bumped me from a flight and refused to make good. An airline that can't be bothered to do little things for passenger comfort probably isn't above STEALING from passengers either.

[@cyber_pirate]

@@rodneykingston6420 I’m sorry that happened to you but that could literally happen with any airline. It’s just a price you have to pay sometimes when flying 🤷‍♂️

[@nutbastard]

​@@cyber_pirate Seriously. It's not a limousine on your prom night. It's a bus with wings. Delays are not the exception, they're the expectation. I purposefully schedule flights with long layovers purely because half the time, something is going to get delayed, and this might just be me, but I kind of enjoy hanging out and goofing around in airports. Don't want fees? Pack light, bring your own snacks and some big ass headphones. Also TSA really eased up on liquids, so do yourself a favor and bring a pint of booze with you. Buy mixers in the terminal. Dip into a bathroom and make a cocktail, then go ride the trams or those moving sidewalks. Airport bars are a fantastic place to chat up people from all walks of life. Everyone is miserable, and bored, and you're never going to see each other again. The stakes are super low, so take some chances.

[@uacbpa]

Decent service is not a luxury. And trust me, as you grow older, you need more comfort (not luxury) when traveling, especially long flights.

[@whatsomeonesaidwastaken9216]

@@nutbastard everything there u said im kinda like cause historically ive always liked chilling in the airport, and the last part is also something that interests me

[@ckyisyourfuture]

heading to vegas for my friend's bachelor party -- we flew united, but his dad had flown via spirit earlier that day. he was absolutely shitfaced when we got there and just kept screaming "SPIRIT FUCKING AIRLINES!" and talking about how miserable the experience was. good times.

[@v.pineda4258]

I’ve flown with Spirit many times and I never had a bad experience. I know what I’m signing up for. A ticket from point A-B. Download your movies, music, games. Get food at the airport. Chill and enjoy your flight. Great video btw.

[@celeaakuri3065]

I had such an awful experience with Spirit back in 2019, after awhile I was just impressed, not mad and now they're one of my favorite airlines just because of how memorable the screwups were. My flight from Vegas to Houston was delayed ***4*** times. First because of weather, okay no biggie. the second because they LOST the pilot. I was chilling out by the lil desk at the gate and one of the workers said to the others "what do you mean they LOST THE PILOT" and her companion shushed her. 10 minutes later they announced a delay of three hours. They were able to find another pilot, but he was already blackout drunk in an airport bar so you got it, delayed again another 2 hours. At this point I was invested in how screwed up this could get, then BINGO delay number 4 because of something wrong with the plane. I don't remember if it was fuel, or repairs or what. When the lady got on the intercom you could feel all the spirit passengers collectively holding their breath and then we all went "AAUUUUGGGHHH" in unison. After that they gave us a meal voucher for about $12 since it was about 6am at that point. To this day I don't know if I found this all hilarious because of sleep deprivation or finding humor in the situation. That breakfast burrito and the story was worth it tbh

[@lkorn9150]

I highly doubt the second pilot was blackout drunk at an airport bar.

[@williampotter2098]

Celea Akuri Your ridiculous exaggeration regarding their backup pilot being "blackout drunk" in an airport bar made me discount the rest of your story. One drink would make the pilot ineligible to fly. He/She wouldn't need to be blackout drunk to refuse the flight. In fact, I would commend him/her for doing so. If they had the time scheduled off then they had a perfect right to have a drink.

[@whatsomeonesaidwastaken9216]

@@williampotter2098 it was still a miscommunication

[@royaltyblessed2454]

Glass half full kinda person I love it

[@thewisevirgins8030]

Great storyteller. Should write a book. I, on the other hand love flying Spirit

[@rw0037]

Many employers don't even allow their employees to book flights with Spirit for work travel because they know their employees could easily be stranded somewhere for an extra day or two, and once they include baggage and everything, it ends up being more expensive. Spirit is only good for those times when you're on your own time, by yourself, traveling out of a backpack, going to see family or friends, not worried about getting anywhere on time or needing to bring any extra stuff in checked or carry-on bag.

[@kwadwothestan]

So….it’s never good basically😂😂

[@rayxr]

True story: I've only ever used Spirit airlines to fly out 2 girls I met online on PlayStation. They came over for Spring break with only a backpack, so it was worth it.

[@meyer8199]

My company books Spirit. All airlines experience delays and cancellations. Never had a single problem with Spirit. Happy to call your bull shit out.

[@rw0037]

@@meyer8199 Your single, anecdotal experience doesn't invalidate anything. Just because something is true for you doesn't mean it's true for everyone. Your company probably books Spirit because the fair is cheap and they're willing to accept the slight risk. Your job probably isn't that important. But when it's vital for important people to be important places on time, they don't use the cheap budget carriers.

[@calvinouellette4545]

@@meyer8199 spirit is shit stop lying

[@KillPhill]

"Hi to all the people who said you will never fly Spirit again" - Spirit Flight Attendant doing introductions, Oct. 2022.

[@andresleal4093]

That's creative ngl

[@stevenp25100]

Problem is all the other airlines are adding all of those fees as well.

[@entropy2002]

I don't know any other airline that charges for water (I shudder to think how much it must be after bidenflation!) No just a glass of water (even if the flight is delayed due to them), it was a 10 cent bottle of water that they sold for $3 at the time (about 12 years ago.) If they could find a cheap way of measuring it, they'd charge you for the air you breathe (please don't give them that idea).

[@19billdong96]

If anyone asked me “why do you hate Spirit?” All I can say is I’m envious you’ve never flown Spirit…

[@Momo-kun88]

lmao. I haven't.

[@thebestcentaur]

Nor have I. I'd rather drive, take a bus, or flat out stay home

[@thebestcentaur]

@@Bobspineable thank you for explaining precisely why I will never bother wasting my time with them. Also quit being a Spirit shill. The thinking population can read you like a poorly written book

[@wchan39]

Well, I'm not living in the US so no, never flew with Spirit, hell, never even heard of them outside of what I came across on the internet.

[@prixe12]

@@Bobspineable Shut up Sako

[@thepilotist7297]

I work for spirit airlines. It’s ironic but it’s one of the best airlines to work for now. I can only speak to the flight crew side of things but it’s one of the best pilot groups and one of the happiest pilot groups in the industry. With pay going up at least 40% in the next few months, things are only getting better too. Great video!

[@williampotter2098]

Why do they cancel so many flights? I think I could stand the fee thing. I don't need much. I rarely ever even get a glass of water on a flight. But having your flight cancelled without being able to reschedule makes it a big no for me.

[@thepilotist7297]

@@williampotter2098 Spirit actually has a better completion percentage than most other US airlines. We’re at about 98.5% for the year. This summer was hard for everyone due to staffing and AA and Delta actually canceled the most flights.

[@HieronymousLex]

I’m just an enthusiast, but I’m a fan of Spirit. Low cost airlines are interesting to me, and I think important for the people. Spirit has flown me through the sky, like a bird, across the country for a couple hundred bucks, how could I complain about that? It’s good to hear from a Spirit pilot that the company is treating you well, and that “spirits” are high 😉 (had to). Cheers

[@HieronymousLex]

@@williampotter2098 think of how many things could go wrong to delay a flight. Issues with any weather or potential weather anywhere along the route, delays in loading baggage, mechanical issues, traffic, personnel issues… the list goes on. Running an airline is an extremely difficult task, delays happen. And as for cancellations, you can get a refund for those.

[@noonedude101]

Flight crew here as well. I turned down Spirit a few months ago because I can’t live on their first year pay. Hope to see you guys get a raise - I’ll call y’all back!

[@Hank..]

I think the cost-cutting idea is really good in theory, even for things that are inconvenient like low leg room, because it provides a barebones alternative to a more expensive flight for those who just want to get from A to B. However, some of the penny pinching is a bit outrageous, like charging a toll to call their support line, or screwing over a terminally ill person because they don't want to be flexible. It's THAT kind of miserly behavior that's gonna get you a lot of enemies

[@TheHorrorDevotee]

Spirit’s new motto: “If we can’t get you there in person, we’ll get you there in spirit!”

[@bluekewne]

I'm a Southwest Airlines flyer, even have the Southwest Chase Priority card (haven't paid for flights in almost 3 years) - I'll gladly pay a little bit more to not worry about baggage fees & overall have a better flight experience. Southwest remains cheap on the pricing without being cheap in the quality/what you get.

[@FreewayBrent]

On a side note...as a frequent flyer of Southwest, I'm glad we're finally getting USB charging ports on all seats starting next year. I'm guessing it'll take them 12-18 months to install them on all of their planes.

[@thebestcentaur]

As long as Southwest is the gift that keeps on giving, my family and I will remain loyalists. Rarely have we had poor experiences with them, and the ones we have had are just part of life

[@joeys9299]

I enjoy Southwest also. They have always been reliable with decent prices.

[@mrmacross]

I'm a Southwest frequent flier, and I think their marketing is fantastic. Where Spirit fails is that they attach a fee to everything you assume normally comes with a flight. It's like their strategy is to nail as many unsuspecting customers as possible. I feel like they should be honest and just say only pay for what you need. The reality of Southwest is that they say "Bags fly free," but that's functionally the same as saying, "We charge you for checked bags whether you use them or not."

[@jricedrums]

Southwest is still one of the few airlines I haven’t flown yet. In the past 18 months I’ve flown Delta, American, United, Frontier, & Spirit with Spirit & Frontier being my main choices. I’ve heard great things about Southwest but every time I flew they weren’t the cheapest flight and the price for me is which airline I’ll pick to fly with.

[@oeakyea]

My parents keep getting seduced by the ticket prices and come back with horror stories. One time we were supposed to travel together. They got Spirit. I got American. Just couldn’t do it. Didn’t regret it b/c they once again had more horror stories and ended up paying more b/c of unforeseen circumstances that generated more fees.

[@digitalgulby]

This. There is no reason to fly them, just as you stated.

[@maas1208]

Why not use trains instead

[@MikeU128]

I've flown on Spirit a couple of times. Read the fine print, knew what I was getting into, and got what I paid for. IOW... if your highest priority is getting from point A to point B for as little money as possible (comfort be damned), Spirit serves that niche adequately. It also helps a lot if you're under 5'6"...

[@IvanRodriguez-ur4qg]

I’ve flown with Spirit 3 times in the past month, and it honestly hasn’t been too bad. I’m a fairly average sized guy, 5’9” and 140lbs. I slept through the flights every time, got delayed once but received a voucher, and the crew was pretty friendly and kept updating consistently. I heard lots of things about them before flying with them and was nervous about it, but I’ve been pretty satisfied with it and I’d travel with them again. That said, all 3 times I’ve only brought on a personal item; they were weekend getaways and a checked back or even a carry on was excessive for me. For the price I paid, I was pretty satisfied with the experience overall. Adjust your expectations and pack light and you’ll be good to go.

[@Seigensi]

people who can sleep on flights get no input on the experience.

[@joewhite917]

I have a friend who had 2 sons who tried to fly out of Atlantic City airport on Spirit Airlines to visit their grandmother. The flight was cancelled 2 days in a row. Their mother found a flight out of Philadelphia Airport for less. They got to Philadelphia Airport on time and took off on time. They noticed that a lot of the other passengers were ones that were also trying to fly on Spirit Airlines

[@kevting4512]

They're the Greyhound of the skies. It's not an enjoyable ride but it gets to where you want to go for cheap.

[@stlrickyjones]

Exactly!!

[@rjhollinger]

Only cheap if you don't have any bags. Adds up real quick otherwise

[@monkofdarktimes]

@@rjhollinger but if you are in a rush and are packing very light it's nice

[@mardix]

The Greyhound of the skies is Southwest Airline

[@pokehybridtrainer]

More like the Chinatown Bus.

[@TrFjAcOr]

I'm from the UK, I had to fly Spirit after missing a connection from Seattle to Las Vegas. It made our easyJet look luxurious. I've never experienced anything like it... what an experience. I felt like I was experiencing a meme in person

[@paulf3353]

How is it different to Ryanair for instance ?

[@JAW242]

@@paulf3353 I’d say 😊RyanAir is even worse

[@PlacekTV100]

@@paulf3353 I think the only diffrence is that the flights here are much shorter, the ,,Michael O'Leary's Tube of Terror" is the longest Ryanair flight and it takes 6 hours, while the most flights take around 2 or 3 hours tops, I think that even though the conditions are just as awful as Spirit it's just easier to withstand given that it can sometimes be 4 times cheaper than a traditional airline, even with the fees. But I must admit that Ryanair really sucks, even as a low cost airline, I understand the old, sometimes not so clean planes, hard landings and fees, but the way they pick up the cheapest hole in the wall airport that can sometimes be hours away from the city and their obnoxious advertising of their duty free offers on board pains me, Wizz manages to be the same price without doing those 2 things.

[@nicholasrossano7340]

A little over a year ago, I had a flight scheduled shortly after Christmas Day. The flight got cancelled, which isn’t that surprising but what was surprising was that Spirit never refunded me and did not offer a rescheduled flight either. After a long phone call, they agreed to give me credit for the next flight which they would never have done if it were not for the call. Then, a few months later, I found out while looking for another flight that the credit they gave me expired after a month.

[@LittleMopeHead]

I know how that felt. 3 months after the ORIGINAL flight scheduled, not when the flight credit was created. 😬

[@karinaz8756]

Because when a company exhibits poor customer service you clearly want a credit to experience it again.

[@DMVRailfan]

It’s why I fly JetBlue.

[@Fisheee123]

There was a video from this year than went pretty viral. A guy wasn't allowed to take his skateboard on spirit airlines because it wouldn't fit in that metal box thing at the airport. So he broke it in half to make it fit so he wouldn't have to pay the $89 fee lol

[@lvd-lyricvideodream1879]

Yeah Shaun Hover is his name

[@nawwk79]

Spirit Airlines - "You Know You Are Getting A Divorce When He Buys You Our Ticket."

[@zugabdu1]

The thing that keeps me from flying Spirit isn't the fees and cost cutting, but their terrible on-time performance. If you ever try to rely on Spirit for a connecting flight, it's like playing Russian roulette with extra bullets. I don't expect flying to be pleasant or comfortable, but I do expect to get where I'm going and Spirit can't deliver that reliably. I pay extra to avoid flying them as a result. I will say Spirit probably works for a certain type of traveler - a cash-strapped student with a small backpack who doesn't mind big delays.

[@SithCats]

And is no taller than 5'9" at the most. At 6'2" I literally cannot fit in their seats because the length of my femur is longer than the distance between the back of my seat and the seat in front of me.

[@selenachen7091]

You are so right! A few weeks ago I bought a Spirit flight with a 4hr layover (my first mistake) turns out they delayed the flight for 4more hours until midnight made us sit in the plane for another hour (1am at this time) and deplaned us because federal regulations didn’t allow the flight attendance to work over 16hrs a day. Talking about cutting cost and cancelling flights. I feel bad for the spirit workers and the customers.

[@meyer8199]

Spirit's on time performance is ranked 3rd best according to Cision for 2022: "Spirit Operated more than 44,000 domestic and international flights Delivered a completion factor of 99.2% that ranked No. 3 in the U.S. industry; outperformed all major legacy airlines; included 25 days of 100 percent completion factor; and set a new company record for the month of July 77.5% of flights arrived within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time, which is the standard "A14" industry metric, and ranked No. 4 in the U.S. Launched new Albuquerque (ABQ) and Boise (BOI) stations during this period, and Reno (RNO) flights started August 10". Not sure why you are making crap up. Maybe it makes you feel better.

[@thejunouyang]

@@meyer8199 do you work for Spirit because I see you defending it under many comments? A quick search on Google showed only 68% of Spirit flights are ever on time. Sounds like you are the spewing nonsense here.

[@dantove963]

@@thejunouyang Do you work for a competitor, because I see you deriding Spirit. I fly Spirit all the time and they are no better or worse than anyone else, period.

[@rushtest4echo737]

We've only flown on Spirit once. We had a family emergency and purchased last minute tickets that actually weren't ridiclously priced. We arrived at the airport several hours early and asked if there was any way we could be moved to an earlier flight. The person at checkin said there was nothng she could do on her end- that they were literally forbidden from making such a change. She did, however, encourage me to ask at the gate of the earlier flight once I had passed through security. We did so, and explained our plight to the gate agent, who happily rebooked us on the earlier flight. I guess at the end of the day most people aren't outraged by Spirits pursuit of low costs- it's more the piss poor customer service. For us though, they came through when plenty of other airlines weren't an option.

[@Torchmanz]

I've flown Spirit many many times from Orlando to Dallas. I've never had a problem, and the crews have always been extremely nice and professional. I typically bought a "big" seat as they call it, and still ended up saving money over Delta or others. If I had to give them a rating for my flights, I'd say a decent 8.5/10.

[@38josue91]

I've had mostly positive experiences. I usually travel only with a small backpack so their service is perfect for me. One time I went on a round trip to Peru for less than 200$. Their seats are uncomfortable, there are no charging ports or entertainment, but still it is a good value for money.

[@Sasbanonker]

Spirit is great for a short weekend trip, where you can get away with only packing a backpack.

[@pat3464]

I booked a Spirit flight once, note I said "booked" not "flown". I had a flight booked for this upcoming February. When I booked it back in September it was a direct flight Boston to Vegas, leaving Boston at 8:05AM and landing in Vegas at 10:45AM. I got an email on Saturday saying they had a schedule change and my flight was now leaving Boston at 2:35PM, landing in Atlanta at 5:40PM, 4.5 hour layover, leave Atlanta at 10:10PM and landing in Vegas at midnight. The flight coming home had similar changes. They did give me a full refund but now I had to buy tickets with another airline costing $200 more for 9 tickets. That is why I hate Spirit.

[@SPARTANLuis067]

To be fair, EVERY company will do this to you. They don't care, you don't matter to them. That's just how airlines run their businesses. Sell tickets first, hope you don't make it or fuss because that's easy easy profit.

[@pat3464]

@@SPARTANLuis067 it's not easy profit when everyone cancels their flight. The lady I talked to said more than 50% of tickets for that flight had been refunded when I called 36 hours after getting the email

[@meyer8199]

You are entitled to a refund for schedule changes, on unused portions of tickets, which is a common occurrence on all airlines. You can also put a stop payment on your credit card for such an event. Your story is missing something, because Spirit always provides refunds for schedule changes should the passenger opt not to travel on the re accommodated flights.

[@meyer8199]

@@SPARTANLuis067 Actually, NO AIRLINE does this, including Spirit. If your flight has a schedule change, which is not the same as a delay due to weather or mechanical or a re-booking, you are entitled to a refund on the unused portion of the ticket. Your knowledge or how airlines work is breathtakingly inaccurate.

[@pat3464]

@@meyer8199 My story isn't missing anything because I said that spirit refunded me my money. I just have never experienced such a drastic change. I can't believe such a change is even legal to sell direct flights then change them to having layovers

[@josecamacho5966]

I flown a couple of times with spirit and they were good experiences as I knew what I was getting into, sat at the emergency roll as you have more leg room space, paid for one piece of luggage and they didn't charge for my backpack which weighted at least 45 maybe 50 pounds, purchased water and snacks before boarding in general made it work. Recommend do your homework and focus on what will work for you.

[@LeslieFlemons]

My family and I just flew to California with Spirit and just like you mentioned, we were charged with everything! We all said, “Never again!”

[@Meyerc-yv2bi]

What did you pay for your base fare? I fly them coast to coast all the time and have paid as little as $39. And FYI, basic economy tickets on JetBlue, Delta, American and United ALL charge you for everything except for a thimble of soda. Guess you really love spending hundreds of dollars for a can of coke and making CEO's rich. Glad you won't be on my next Spirit flight!

[@LeslieFlemons]

@@Meyerc-yv2bi so you’re a Spirit lover? Which is fine but everyone has their own experiences. And why were you being rude at the end?

[@Meyerc-yv2bi]

@@LeslieFlemons So you're a Spirit hater? Which is fine but everyone has their own experiences. And why you and all the haters being rude to the end?

[@LeslieFlemons]

@@Meyerc-yv2bi I was just overpaid. And I wasn't being rude at the end. But me hating Spirit shouldn't stop you from loving Spirit. I hope you have a blessed day! ❤

[@Meyerc-yv2bi]

@@LeslieFlemons If you overpaid, then that is on you. Prices are clearly indicated before you purchase. Have a blessed day too and stop playing the fool.

[@dy120481]

The one time I flew Spirit, I got round-trip tickets from Houston to Seattle and back. Going to Seattle, they were over 5 hours late (which isn't necessarily on the airline), and on the way back they canceled my flight as I was driving to the airport. Not postponed, *CANCELED*. Their website was down, so I called their customer service line, which directed me through multiple automated prompts before hanging up on me. Tried that 3 or 4 times before throwing in the towel and spending $600 for another airline 'cause I had to be back at work the next day. Never found out what happened or got my money back, but considered it a lesson learned.

[@Hiei2k7]

The pure definition of "You get what you pay for."

[@zombiedodge1426]

I'll sit on the wing if it's cheap enough.

[@Hiei2k7]

@@zombiedodge1426 Good for you.

[@iandean1112]

@@zombiedodge1426 throw me in with the luggage

[@zombiedodge1426]

@@iandean1112 I'll cling to the landing gear like Arnold in COMMANDO.

[@mndlessdrwer]

I can't fault a company for that. Doesn't mean I'd want to use their services, though.

[@Twisted_Logic]

The first thing I think of with Spirit is the time I caught a fight to Denver and my flight was delayed 12 hours... in one hour increments. I was offered miles as compendation, but they had to be used within a couple months and weren't enough for me to really go anywhere and come back. Not to mention I worked hourly and couldn't afford another vacation so soon.

[@uacbpa]

I find that insulting. "We compensate you for our bad service with the opportunity of continuing using our bad service".

[@sjenkinsnm]

My mother in law recently flew with them. Her issues were the fees but also extreme delays and poor communications.

[@godblessedtx4060]

I've flown Spirit many, many times back and forth from Houston to San Diego with a connection in Vegas...I know not to expect much from them. I pack light, I arrive early, I deal with their delays, etc. and just go on about my way. But after this last experience I don't think I will ever fly with them again after it took me 3 days to get back home. It's one thing to get your flight delayed for hours, miss your connection because of delays but to be treated like absolute crap by their rude, unprofessional employees takes it to another level. (they do have some good employees, but the bad ones...oh Lord) I previously worked for an airline so I know things happen that are out of the employees hands but there is no excuse for their crap attitudes, they actually antagonize and escalate a negative situation if you dare express your frustration with them in any way. Seriously, 3 days to get home because of their delays, oversold flights and misconnection and all I encountered was rude, aggressive and badly trained employees especially at the Las Vegas airport, the gate "supervisor' was the most rude, incompetent and aggressive person I have ever had the misfortune of having to deal with. Her name is Senia and she obviously enjoys her power trip and uses her position to shut you up if you dare voice your dissatisfaction with their ineptness. She literally was smirking and being such a smart ass to anyone that expressed any frustration with the situation they were in because of the delays or misconnections. One of the passengers even started crying and Senia just smirked, offered no help, no empathy, no apologies, nothing other than her horrible attitude. It's only a matter of time before I see her on social media getting rocked by a passenger and I'll know exactly why. She's gonna catch someone when they're at their limit with this airline and their b.s.

[@bruskis8685]

only one experience with spirit and all was well. Being tall I was lucky to get the aisle seat, but other than that everything went how I expected. My expectations weren't incredibly high, but then again I just needed to get from point A to B, the "classic hamburger with nothing on it" to go along with that analogy in the video

[@Theneckofthrogs]

My biggest complaint about Spirit used to be the uncomfortable chairs that don’t recline. I used to not have a problem with Spirit until one day… They cancelled my flight to Las Vegas 3 hours before my flight. I get to the airport and the customer service line is about 100 people deep. Everybody’s flight had been cancelled and nobody was getting answers. I had a connecting flight in another city that I missed while waiting on line. However, I realized Spirit had an afternoon direct flight to Las Vegas, but there were still about 90 people ahead of me in line. I ended up going to the luggage check-in (despite not having luggage) that had nobody on line there, and begged them to get me on that direct flight to Las Vegas. The lady was hesitant at first, but was able to do it, saved my vacation and I made it to Vegas! To make the trip even more memorable, USA would go on to beat Mexico in the Gold Cup final. I told myself I would never fly Spirit again…EXCEPT I had already purchased a flight with Spirit months prior. They would once again DELAY my flight on the day of, and I ended up booking a flight with Delta to avoid ever dealing with Spirit again. Moral of the story: Don’t be a cheap-O, you get for what you pay. The $2 you save today might cost you $20 tomorrow.”

[@maas1208]

Why not use trains instead

[@matthew8153]

@@maas1208 America is big. It takes over a week to cross the country by train versus a few hours by plane.

[@maas1208]

@@matthew8153 yeah but Europe has made their railroads the most efficient option to travel on and at least the USA has to improve its regional services

[@brattingprincess]

I relate hard. Geez their chairs suck so anything more than 2h, this airline is not for me

[@miickydeath12]

@@maas1208 yeah and europe is very small compared to the USA

[@rmp5s]

Nah man. Allegiant...I had a flight get delayed for HOURS because, no joke, they said they had to put the tail of the plane back on. I have been on more flights than I can count, including aboard all different kinds of aircraft in FRIGGIN AFGHANISTAN and that was the only time I've ever been nervous to get on a plane. It's BAD when you are less nervous to get on a damn Osprey...

[@tamalawattree2415]

😂😂😂

[@meyer8199]

All airlines experience delays due to mechanical issues. I was on a Delta flight and an entire engine had to be taken off and remounted. Thank goodness Allegiant fixed the problem and was transparent with you. Not all airlines are that forthcoming with information. Definitely will fly Allegiant now that I've heard your story.

[@hunternield2408]

I'm a backpack traveler, i rate spirit 4/5 stars from my 6 overall flights. Charging for water is a little BS but you can just bring an empty bottle into the airport

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

I love Spirit Air. There's always free inflight entertainment. Heck, some luck passengers got to see Mike Tyson's last fight. 🤣🤣🤣

[@chrisdonohue3843]

I flew both Spirit and Frontier back in 2019, and honestly my experience on spirit was much more enjoyable. I feel like Spirit embraced their brand identity more than Frontier. The flight attendants and pilots really embraced the “no frills” attitude of their business model in a way that was almost comedic and entertaining, so for a 2 hour flight from Chicago to Florida, it was a fine experience. I feel like Frontier tries to present themselves as a bit classier than Spirit even though their product is essentially the same, where as Spirit’s bright yellow planes almost seem indicative of their corporate identity that they don’t take themselves too seriously. I appreciated that about them, so that’s why I personally prefer Spirit over Frontier.

[@vincentcastor5978]

I was stranded on Christmas weekend at LAX in 2017 because Spirit could not find a pilot for our flight. I spent almost 48 hours at airport before we took off. One pilot show up intoxicated. Second pilot had exceeded his flight hours for the day and was told not to fly while we were sitting on the tarmac. We boarded the plane and embarked back into the airport three times in a 48 period. Third pilot got at airport too late and TSA was closed and he couldn’t get through. (Yes pilots do go through TSA) The whole ordeal was a nightmare. Spirit did give us food and hotel vouchers. But even the hotel vouchers had hidden fees. So we slept at airport.

[@bobbystark3721]

Spirit suddenly cancelled my flight back home to Ohio and stranded me and my family in southern Florida and would not book us onto a return home flight with them or another carrier for a week. Obviously, we didn’t have a week to wait so I had rent a car at 10 pm and drive 16 hours home through the night. Never in all my thoughts would I anticipate them doing this. They don’t deserve to be in business.

[@Meyerc-yv2bi]

All airlines cancel flights. It's in the Contract of Carriage. Read it next time BEFORE you buy a ticket.

[@bobbystark3721]

@@Meyerc-yv2bi I mean, sure, you’re right. I realize they’re allowed to do that. However, a desire for good customer service ought to drive them to make a reasonable accommodation to get me and my family home. I wasn’t upset about the flight being cancelled. As you mentioned, that happens; that’s life! What upset me the most was when I was speaking to their representatives in order to try to find a reasonable solution, it really felt like they couldn’t care less. Their was no desire to problem-solve the situation and make it right.

[@bobbystark3721]

@@brettany_renee_blatchley I’m honestly sorry to hear that. I get it.

[@Meyerc-yv2bi]

@@brettany_renee_blatchley That's the risk you take when flying with any airline. Next time, read the Contract of Carriage, a legally binding document that YOU sign when purchasing tickets. Now you know.

[@Meyerc-yv2bi]

@@bobbystark3721 Actually, you really don't get anything....

[@zBMatt]

As a 6’1 man who one bagged to the Virgin Islands for a full week I can say I loved Spirit. I didn’t pay for a seat and found that each seat (never got put in the middle and half of the four flights I took never had a middle passenger) was reasonably comfortable. Didn’t lose feeling in my legs or anything and I’m fairly tall. I used the spirit app for my boarding passes. I brought a disposable essentia, dollar tree version of smart water, with me for the entire trip and so I didn’t need to buy any refreshments on the plane. Only extra I bought was inflight wifi since I didn’t know what wifi would be like at an island airport and I wouldn’t have cell service on the island. Honestly if a person gets over their fear of being uncomfortable or missing something and comes to understand that they can live a comfortable and stylish with no repeated outfits life out of a personal item sized bag, Spirit Air is truly a gift to travelers. Don’t be such a consumer that you must have things all the time and Spirits nickel and dime strategies no longer work, you simply get to travel cheaper than you could any other way.

[@1994ggril]

A friend of mine was almost assaulted by a spirit employee in Nashville for asking for help getting her missing bag back. I’d rather crawl over broken glass then fly this airline

[@woodside4life]

Unfortunately crawling over broken glass is another fee.

[@meyer8199]

Lots of holes in this story. More likely a Spirit employee was assaulted. Glad you are not flying Spirit. I don't want to sit next to a lying asshole.

[@meyer8199]

@@woodside4life On Delta.

[@Ribrubrob]

@@meyer8199 FACTS

[@meyer8199]

@@Ribrubrob Indeed FACTS! Learn them next time.

[@wheretheredferngrows14]

My family has been using spirit to fly almost exclusively. You take the good with the bad, but as long as I’m making it to my destination, it’s a horse a piece to me.

[@TheMitchyb61]

The amazing part of this is that everyone complains and yet still buys tickets on Spirit! 😂😂😂

[@shayj5124]

Truth!

[@HorseRenoir14]

Nearly all of my flights have been on Spirit Airlines. And nearly every time, I have someone tell me, "I'll never use Spirit" or "Spirit is the worst". Personally - I've never had an issue. Sure, they are cramped planes, uncomfortable seats, very little (if any) amenities, and even less that are included in the ticket price. The customer service is lacking and their marketing is unlike any other airline. But for me, that's the beauty of it. I listen to friends who fly on higher-end airlines complain all day long about how terrible Spirit is. But at the end of the day, I'm looking to get from Point A to Point B. I have a smartphone and laptop, I can watch movies, listen to audiobooks, catch up on the latest Company Man videos - I don't need those things provided for me. I eat before I go on the plane and never expect any "extras" because it's a simple flight from where I was, to where I'm going, and vice-versa. I think too many people are spoiled with huge seats, tons of leg room, in-flight-everything, that they can't imagine just getting on a plane and being transported to their destination. There doesn't need to be more than what you need. And if it's imperative that someone NEEDS something, they can purchase it as an add-on. Now - on to their marketing. Transparency is something that is rarely found in a company's attempts to lure you into purchasing their products/services. Spirit is clear about what you're getting. A flight. That's it. You want to go from your city to another? Buy a ticket and shut up. But they go a step further and make it funny, punny, and intriguing. I was impressed when I saw their "Send Us Your Hate" campaign. Literally asking people to rip them a new one. Because they know exactly who and what they are. And they have no qualms about being a low cost airline. I respect that. So if you want to have a good Spirit Airlines experience - Buy your ticket and leave your expectations at the gate. You're taking a flight somewhere, not going to a resort.

[@xXRedTheDragonXx]

I was on a Spirit flight with a carry on bag. I got to the gate and was told that they didn't have any more room for carry on bags. I had to PAY EXTRA to check the bag at the gate even though I had ALREADY PAID for the carry on. To top it all off, they still lost the bag.

[@Michael-sb8jf]

If true you got screwed because checked luggage costs less then carry on on spirit. Or at least now

[@orangellama]

I have bounced between Company Man and Modern Business as my mainly watched channels. For me Company Man takes the cake for the facts, statistics, and consistent uploading. Just subscribed.

[@bark22]

I’m retired now, but before the pandemic hit, my company provided IT network support for Spirit Airlines. They were among other clients that we had such as Nissan and American Airlines. Our clients loved the service that we provided…all except for (you guessed it). They were like our Karen’s. Always complaining, never satisfied and very combative. They ended up being placed on what was called a ‘white glove’ list. (Our only customer on the list). Being on that list meant that only our more experienced engineers could manage their network issues. It quickly became very apparent that they were wishing to get out of their multi year contact. The final straw took place when during a conference call, their engineers took credit for correcting network issues that our engineers had cleared. When they were finally released from the contact, it came as a huge relief to not have to hear from their constant complaining anymore. I actually celebrated.

[@j.l.4620]

Spirit actually surprised me last time we flew through them. we had two Delta flights there, and a Spirit flight home on our trip to Orlando. Delta absolutely totalled our expensive suitcase beyond repair while we were watching out the window when they loaded it... Delta guy literally yeeted it onto the belt with the force of the sun. we were like "man, they just threw that suitcase pretty hard, I feel bad for whoever's-....... oh... yo homie... that's our suitcase... uh oh...". I want to add we are disabled and we had trouble getting our stuff around for the rest of our trip. Spirit was our flight on the way home and it was the best experience we've ever had. they very clearly and loudly labeled our stuff as extremely fragile because it was already held together by prayer. they landed the plane gently and everyone there was really nice. Delta never even sent us a replacement suitcase like they said they would. as crazy as I sound I would choose Spirit again.

[@pneulancer]

Based on your anecdotal evidence I cannot say definitively that Spirit is worse than Delta. I can assure you that flying from DFW to LAX on Spirit was one of the worst experiences that my girlfriend and I have had to endure. Sometimes, ya get what ya pay for!

[@Raja-bz4yw]

Oh I hate delta. I've had nothing but bad experiences on them. They've lost luggage more than once n have destroyed my stuff whenever they looked into my suitcase. Every time I took them their flights were delayed EVERY SINGLE TIME. I've never flown with spirit yet.

[@JTJT-dt2ul]

Being from latin america, spirit was pretty much the only choice we hade to fly to the us on our budget. Flights paid in dollars equate to about 4x the price for us (imagine a flight is $50, with our purchasing power it would turn into around $200), and I remember the planes being small, cramped, etc. However, nowadays, most airlines are about the same price and Spirit lost the appeal it had. We now fly JetBlue, Copa or Avianca as the prices end up being around the same with all the fees applied.

[@38josue91]

You're right, their prices now are about the same as other airlines. Lately, I've been using JetBlue and American more often than Spirit. I'm not riding Copa airlines ever again though, their service is even worse than Spirit or Frontier.

[@jacobharvey2946]

In a twist, my partner and I have only flown Spirit once. Without knowing, we booked the first flight ever out of our local airport. While of course the seats were still uncomfortable. It was only a few hour domestic flight. And they pampered us, for Spirit anyway. Snacks, drinks, some cheesy swag. It was actually pretty enjoyable.

[@SithCats]

I flew Spirit Airlines one time for a round-trip that I had to schedule on short notice in 2013 (my at-the time girlfriend's father was dying). I had just started grad school AND replaced my car, so I couldn't afford to fly on any other airline. Even if I found myself in those dire financial circumstances again, I would NOT fly Spirit. I would take a bus or train before I would fly Spirit. Hell, I might resort to hitchhiking before I'd deal with Spirit. The nickel-and-diming for every little thing with service fees did get on my nerves, but the real reason is this: I literally cannot fit in their seats. At 6'2" I'm a fairly tall guy, but not freakishly so. And yet, the seats are literally too close together for me to get my legs in. I had to have an aisle seat because I could not sit in a middle or window seat. I had to have my legs hanging into the aisle where they were a trip hazard for everyone walking past, and I had to get out of my seat and stand up to let flight attendants pass. I will not ever repeat that experience again. Next time someone is on their deathbed in another state, I will either dish out for a better airline, or I will send my apologies and not attend.

[@corvega_joe]

I’ve heard nothing but horrible things about Spirit and it’s all because of its clientele. It’s usually because it’s clientele is seen as messy and violent. The type that you normally say “Yeah, I’m not surprised that’s what the criminal looks like.”

[@k_schreibz]

My one experience on Spirit was bad for this reason. Didn't see any violent behavior but God were the people filthy on board. It smelt like trash, people were eating anchovies and curry they had packed, and when I got off there was open dirty diapers on the floor and trash everywhere. I'll gladly pay $50-100 more to be sitting next to people who showered before getting on.

[@feedmewifi_477]

you can just say black

[@k_schreibz]

@@feedmewifi_477 Umm no it was mostly white people on the plane, but thanks for assuming my bad experience had to be rooted in race somehow 👍

[@thebestcentaur]

@@k_schreibz "Greyhound of the skies" indeed

[@feedmewifi_477]

@@k_schreibz not talking to you bud

[@ultrainstinctshaggy2123]

I flew with spirit one time a few years ago to Mexico. The flight to Mexico was uneventful and average. On my way back to the USA however I didn't have enough time to go through customs and then catch my connecting flight back home, so I ended up stuck in Florida for a day. I explained my situation to the person at the spirit help desk and they hooked me up with a free hotel room as well as food vouchers. All in all I really don't think it was too terrible and their customer support was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be hearing all the horror stories everyone likes to tell about spirit

[@intendedclient5574]

We recently flew spirit and while the seats were god awfully hard and tight, the staff on the ground and flight crew were funny and gracious, like they knew we all hated them but we're rolling with it anyway. They showed some "spirit."

[@MB-vp8zz]

I fly with just a backpack but pay for the Big Front Seat. My only complaints: Their higher than average last-minute cancellation rate and that their flight attendants seem to be chosen from some remedial jobs program. I get the impression that in a real emergency, the FAs would trample small children to make their escape first.

[@ThePremiumChicken]

I thought, since it's October, that it will be about Spirit Halloween stores

[@Z.D.G.Entertainment745]

I did have 1 experience with a funny flight attendant where randomly mid flight she came on the intercom and said today our lunch menu is 100 percent vegan because of lunch menu is 100 percent unavailable

[@DaveVoyles]

Spirit is the definition of “you get what you pay for”. I love the idea. It’s not a carrier that I would fly on but I think they provide value to the consumer who is looking to travel on a budget. I think the big issue is you have his people who want to pay very little, but then get upset when they receive very little service. That’s on them. Spirit does a fantastic job of setting expectations, although I would not fly them.

[@harleymitchelly5542]

They exist and fill a niche. It's a niche no one will probably thank them for, but it sounds like if you absolutely need a flight somewhere at the most bargain basement of prices, Spirit exists. They're hated, but judging from the video, it sounds like they're hated because they do a naturally thankless job. "Greyhound in the Air" is a comparison being made a lot.

[@kenetickups6146]

Shill moment

[@markc.5750]

I flew Spirit ONCE and it scarred me for life. I decided to get my own pilot’s license since commercial flying sucks.

[@Tav_cr]

The problem is made worst by cancelations and delays. They are not a cheap alternative anymore when canceling flights forcing people to rent hotel rooms and paying meals they didn't have on their budget. That's happening every time I just wonder how they are still on business.

[@karinaz8756]

They cancel flights and don’t over refunds. You have to fight for it. Someone on a budget can’t afford to pay for two tickets .

[@hetalia74]

I flew spirit from SJU to MIA and back, It was what I paid for. Not bad, just inexpensive. No drama, little room, no free things except a free personal item but even when paying for luggage it was still less expensive than other flights, and was able to better invest those savings into the vacation.

[@MikeMike-rs1yz]

My first flight on Spirt was also my last. I expected it to be bad when I booked my ticket but in this one area, they exceded my expectations.

[@meyer8199]

Good riddance! I don't want to sit next to an entitled asshole on my next Spirit flight!

[@roystonmason9125]

mine as well , NEVER AGAIN

[@goyoy6433]

I've only flown Spirit twice. Didn't have a problem on either flight. It's fine if you're not trying to connect to another flight or are flying a short distance. All the employees have been nice, and the pilots have given plenty of detailed information about the flight. Going to Vegas, rooting for your favorite team, etc. I'll probably use them again.

[@maxmilizia]

In April, I was flying to Florida and staying in a house with some of my family. We flew JetBlue and trust me, we dealt with our delays but the day before my family was supposed to fly out on Spirit, their flight was cancelled. They weren’t put on a different fight, nor were they refunded. To this day, they are still trying to get their money back.

[@calvinouellette4545]

Same here. My flight was cancelled hours beforehand, I was already at the airport at 2 am for a 5 am flight from Boston to Ft Lauderdale to Peru, I asked for the refund to my bank account and they wouldn’t do it because I had purchased with a card I had lost, so they wouldn’t refund it to my new debit card or the bank account that both the cards were on. I called my bank and got the money back and a month or so passed, I checked my account online one day and SOMEHOW spirit disputed the claim and took the money back from my account! They offered a credit of the same value that expired before the back and forth between spirit and my bank even happened, so it was basically a big fuck you to me. Using that excuse that they can “only refund the original card” is absolute bullshit. You have my information on file, I have my information to provide you, you can’t refund me because you don’t want to. Spent hours on the phone and driving to my bank talking with employees and all I got was a big fuck you from spirit airlines and chase bank. Chase reps were seemingly helpful, but ultimately offered no help and saying they couldn’t do anything about it, $500 for a cancelled flight and had to spend 12 hours in Logan airport in winter freezing and sleeping on seats in some desolate corner of the airport no one was in. Fuck spirit

[@hotlavatube]

I recall once trying to book a ticket on an airline like Spirit. It might've been Spirit, or Frontier--those ultra-low cost budget airlines all use the same scummy tactics. Not only wasn't it clear what actions would add a fee, but to add insult to injury, once you'd opted into a fee-laden option, the site wouldn't let you remove it or change you mind. To remove it, you had to start the ticket-buying process over from the very beginning and re-select all your options. After restarting the process several times to get rid of fees, I gave up and went with a larger name-brand carrier I could trust more.

[@bubbathon]

Great video as always! I was wondering actually if you could do a video on Frontier Communications? Between their terrible satisfaction scores, mass lay offs, strikes, and their bankruptcy I think it could make a great video.

[@Ladyhotfire78]

I flew Spirit once and paid for their “big seat” up front. Flight was delayed but once it was off, not bad. The extra cost for the big seat was worth it.

[@pianofixer898]

Back when my girlfriend and I were long distance we would fly Spirit every other weekend to visit one another and this wouldn’t have been possible without the ultra low fares. Spirit is fine as long as you have a game plan. Show up with your boarding pass on your phone, only bring a backpack, if possible purchase your tickets for future flights in person at the airport counter rather than online to save $$$. Like I said, it’s about managing your expectations, having a game plan, and not falling for their tricks.